


Flash(back)

by MapleLeafSquareRoot



Series: Emu's AUs [5]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alexis is a photographer, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Canon Dialogue, David Rose is a Good Person, M/M, Photography, Rachel is not nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:07:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21525724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MapleLeafSquareRoot/pseuds/MapleLeafSquareRoot
Summary: In an Alternate Universe, Alexis Rose is a budding photographer who is hired to shoot engagement photos for Patrick and Rachel.Patrick is the new head of the Elmdale Township Chamber of Commerce, and Alexis is keen to impress, bringing along David as a second shooter.Rated M out of an abundance of caution for language, and references to sex, alcohol, and potentially sketchy situations.  If you're looking for smut, you won't find it here.  Stick around anyway.
Relationships: Alexis Rose & David Rose, Patrick Brewer & Rachel, Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: Emu's AUs [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1480871
Comments: 45
Kudos: 94





	1. David

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NoahRose27](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoahRose27/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M, erring on the extreme side of caution, for some language and references to sex, alcohol and potentially sketchy situations.

  
“ _Oh my god, **Day-vid**! Hurry up_!” Alexis called from the clearing of trees, fifty metres ahead. 

“Ugh! Get eaten by a bear, Alexis!” David huffed out, slightly winded from the climb. 

“What? I can’t hear you, David!”

“Ugh! I  _ said _ I’m coming!” David replied, much louder, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of Alexis’ camera bag on one shoulder, and his own equipment in his backpack. 

_ Who the hell schedules a sunrise engagement shoot?  _ David griped to himself, as he followed Alexis into the clearing. It had been awhile since Alexis had asked him to be her second shooter. Ever since...the  _ incident _ with the couple who miscommunicated their intentions to wear stripes, one showing up in horizontal, the other in horrifyingly mismatched vertical, bars. To say nothing of their colour choice. Well, actually that was part of the problem, because David hadn’t been unable to say  _ nothing _ , and Alexis had withheld paying him for what little service he had provided that day. This had left them in a stalemate, and if Alexis hadn’t broken up with Ted for the second time earlier in the week, David would have remained steadfast in his refusal to assist with the shoot. Call it a moment of weakness, or  _ personal growth _ , or whatever. Here he was, hauling photography equipment up a  _ mountain _ at the ass-crack of dawn, in an effort to help Alexis impress the new head of the Elmdale Township Chamber of Commerce. 

Approaching the clearing, he could hear the bride-to-be before he could see her. And  _ oh,  _ this was not going to be easy. She was already barking directions at both Alexis and her poor fiance, and David steeled himself, ready for the onslaught. 

To his surprise, the commander-in-chief-of-the-clearing was a petite redhead, dressed in a simple dress, whose head barely reached her fiance’s shoulder. David cleared his throat, and she turned around, flashing a fake toothy smile. “Rachel,” she cooed, extending her hand. “David,” he replied as cordially as he could muster, shaking her limp, fake-nail laden hand. 

Her fiance, clad in a blue button-up shirt, and dark jeans, came up behind Rachel, reaching out to introduce himself to David. “Patrick,” he offered, taking David’s hand. “David,” David repeated, asserting himself with his trademark smirk and well-practiced-but-totally-fake confident gaze. Patrick’s firm handshake, and reciprocated eye-contact, shook something in David’s mind, and he lingered for a moment too long holding Patrick’s hand for Rachel’s comfort. She stepped between them, fussing with Patrick’s collar, making sure it was buttoned up all the way, and rolling down his sleeves. 

David turned away, making like he was assembling his equipment, but his mind was drifting.

_ He and Stevie had gone to Elmdale Dirty Dale’s for the evening, both of them hoping to pick up randoms. Stevie had quickly gotten lucky with one of the players from the hockey tournament, and had long since left the bar in search of a private space, leaving David alone. This didn’t bother David, as mysterious-stranger-in-a-leather-jacket was one of his go to aesthetics on a night like this.  _

_ David scanned the bar, seeing no one check off enough boxes on his criteria for a night of either giving or taking. He did notice the man sitting on the stool nearest the TV that was playing some sort of sports event, mostly because he had never seen him before (and there wasn’t a lot of turnover in these parts), but also because he looked sorely out of place and very uncomfortable. David pegged him as either not knowing this was a gay bar and just wanting to watch the sports away from his wife, or, being newly out and curious. Either way, David felt a twinge of sympathy for this button of a man, either for the need to escape, or the awkwardness of new experiences.  _

_ David finished his negroni, needing a trip to the washroom. He splashed a bit of cold water on his face, reducing the blotchiness that inevitably happened after a few drinks, and headed back out.  _

_ As he approached the bar, he looked over to the man in the corner, first noticing the look of fear and discomfort in his eyes, and noticing second the larger, bearded man crowding into his space. Thinking quickly, David asked the bartender for two bottles of water, and he beelined over to the corner.  _

_ Setting one bottle of water on the counter, he placed one hand on the Button’s shoulder, and handed him the other bottle of water. This freed up his second hand, which he placed on the Button’s forearm. _

_ “Here’s your water, baby.” David said, making pointed eye contact with the Beard. The Beard, all bark and no bite, gave David the once-over, scoffed and walked away.  _

_ “Um. Thank you. You didn’t have to do that,” the Button said softly.  _

_ “Oh, honey, we’ve all been there, and it’s part of the code of conduct to help each other out,” David replied flippantly. _

_ The Button got up to leave. “I’m gonna go.” _

_ David followed him to the coat check (because of course the Button would have checked a coat), and out onto the street.  _

_ The Button turned to David. “Um, were you expecting…? _

_ David took two steps back. The last thing he wanted to do was seem like the knight-in-shining-armour-turned-creep. “No, no. The Beard is still in there...he would have known we weren’t actually together if you left and I didn’t.” _

_ The Button smiled, embarrassed. “Right. Ok, well, goodnight…?” _

_ “David.” _

_ “Nice to meet you, David. And thanks again.” the Button turned, and walked north, while David headed south to catch a cab back to Schitt’s Creek.  _

_ David got about 100 metres away before he realized he hadn’t gotten the Button’s name, and by the time he turned around, the Button was gone.  _

David was brought back to the present by Alexis snapping her fingers in his face. “ _ **Day-vid**_! Set up the stand for the reflector! This beautiful light isn’t going to last forever!”

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Patrick

By the time they had reached the clearing, Patrick and Rachel had had no fewer than thirteen disagreements. It had started with his choice of button-up, and the way he left the top two buttons undone, and rolled his sleeves up. And most recently, it was about how slowly he was traversing the meandering hills. 

_ I wish I could just get eaten by a bear  _ Patrick thought.

When they arrived at the clearing, Rachel immediately started picking up branches and rocks and moving them off to the side, which Patrick pointed out was not only disrespectful to nature itself, but also quite odd, given they had (finally) agreed to do an outdoor engagement shoot. Rachel had just started to launch into another tirade, when Alexis arrived on scene. Patrick offered to take Alexis’ bags, while she and Rachel started going over the plan for the morning. He shook his head as Rachel couldn’t even contain her vitriol towards Alexis. 

Patrick turned around when he heard Rachel’s voice morph into the saccharine tone she used when she thought she could manipulate someone. He walked up behind her, and shook the hand of Alexis’ brother David, who was on hand to assist with candids and set-up. For a brief moment, Patrick thought David looked familiar, but the last few weeks in his new job with the Elmdale Township Chamber of Commerce had resulted in meeting an overwhelming number of people, so lots of people were looking familiar all of the time lately. 

Once all equipment was set up, Alexis began giving directions to Patrick and Rachel, and to David. Surprisingly, Rachel took the direction well, working her angles, and she didn’t fight the corrections Alexis made. Patrick, on the other hand, felt awkward and clumsy, and after trying to explain how to both face Rachel, and the camera, simultaneously, though they were in two different places, David stomped over, placing one hand on Patrick’s shoulder, and the other on his forearm, and turned him in the proper direction. 

The placement of David’s hands, and the firmness with which he gripped Patrick, brought it all back to him, and all her could do was stutter out “I have to pee” and stumble off into the woods, with Rachel yelling “Patrick, that’s disgusting!” behind him. 

_ It was a little over two months ago. Rachel was away for the weekend. Drinks with the girls. Shopping. Or something. Patrick actually could not possibly care less. He was ecstatic to have peace and quiet in the apartment for a few days. It had been months since he had been able to go to a bar, watch some sports, and drink some beer, and he decided that tonight was the night.  _

_ Unfortunately, there weren’t really any bars nearby, except for Elmdale Dirty Dale’s, which Patrick knew was a gay bar. And he knew this, because he had been growing increasingly suspicious that it was not just Rachel that did nothing for him, but the entirety of the female species. And he had considered checking out Dirty Dale’s before, but had never had the guts. _

_ So, off he went. He found himself a stool near the TV, and ordered a beer. He felt safe in the corner. Safe enough to occasionally browse the room, but then return his gaze to the game above him. A man in a leather jacket, sipping a shimmering red-orange cocktail, sitting at the bar, caught his eye, but he seemed so striking and confident that Patrick knew he would never muster up the courage to talk to him. You can look at the menu, even if you can’t eat the meal, Grandpa Brewer had always said. _

_ Suddenly, a hand was on his shoulder, and Patrick turned around to find a larger man with a long beard and a smile full of holes standing a little too close for comfort.  _

_ “Hey there sweetheart, are you looking?” he leered. _

_ "Uh, no…” Patrick stammered, feeling cornered and helpless.  _

_ As if on cue, the man in the leather jacket was at his side, placing a warm palm on his shoulder, handing him a sealed water bottle, and running his other hand along Patrick’s forearm. _

_ “Here’s your water, baby.” Leather Jacket said, glaring at the Beard. _

_ The Beard took one look at Leather Jacket and walked away. _

_ Patrick thanked Leather Jacket, and decided it was time to leave. Leather Jacket followed him. This confused Patrick. This man had just saved him from a very awkward and cringey encounter, and had pointedly brought him a sealed water bottle, which Patrick took as a non-verbal ‘trust me’ sign. So what was up with Leather Jacket, now standing outside with him, and why did Patrick feel like grabbing his lapels and pulling him in for a kiss? _

  
_ Patrick turned to Leather Jacket. “Um, were you expecting…? _

_ Leather Jacket took two steps back, creating a safe space for Patrick if he felt unsafe. “No, no. The Beard is still in there...he would have known we weren’t actually together if you left and I didn’t.” _

_ Patrick smiled, feeling the flush of embarrassment. “Right. Ok, well, goodnight…?” _

_ “David.” _

_ “Nice to meet you, David. And thanks again.” Patrick turned, and walked north, while David headed south to catch a cab back to Schitt’s Creek.  _

_ Patrick had turned the corner, and was out of sight before he realized he hadn’t given David his name. _

Patrick finished peeing in the bushes, and walked back to the clearing. Alexis had taken the opportunity to take some solo shots of Rachel, as the morning sun brought out the brilliance in her red hair. David handed him a small bottle of hand sanitizer, and they resumed the shoot.


	3. Rachel

Rachel woke up before her alarm, alone in bed, her eyes sore and red, and her mouth dry. She had drank an entire bottle of moscato in the tub before crying herself to sleep after yet another failed attempt at having sex with her fiance. In the time it took for her to reach over to the drawer and grab a condom, Patrick’s erection had flagged, and he was hunched over the side of the bed, ears aflame with embarrassment. She had tried to comfort him, but this was not the first time this had happened. And she was having a really hard time reconciling the fact that Patrick said that he wanted children, which is  _ really fucking hard to do _ if you don’t actually have sex. 

As she laid in bed, she thought back to a night just a few weeks prior when she came home earlier than anticipated from a night out with her girls. 

_ Rachel unlocked the apartment and stepped inside, finding all of the lights off, but those in the office.  _

_ “Patrick?” she called out. _

_ She heard scrambling, and the sound of a drawer being shut quickly.  _

_ Patrick came out of the office, face flushed. “You’re home early,” he said. _

_ “Is that a problem?” She knew she was potentially picking a fight, but she didn’t care.  _

_ Patrick just shrugged. “Nope,” he said, popping a hard “p” sound, and turning to go into the washroom.  _

_ Rachel got herself a glass of water, and sat on the couch waiting until Patrick came out of the bathroom. He didn’t come into the living room, but went straight into the bedroom, calling out a perfunctory “Good night.” She sat on the couch until she was confident he was asleep and then she went into the office.  _

_ She knew his laptop password. She had surreptitiously watched him type it over his shoulder, and then hurried to type it into the notes of her phone. She opened up the browser, and looked at the history. Porn. Of course. He couldn’t get off with her, but he could get off to some random wo… _

_ But it wasn’t women. Rachel read the titles. She looked at the video previews. These were two, or more, men having sex. She quickly closed the browser, and logged off the laptop, and immediately felt a little ill. What did this mean? Maybe nothing, she thought. Straight people can watch gay porn, she knew. So this must be nothing.  _

The sound of her alarm brought Rachel back to the present. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, put on her slippers, and headed out to make a cup of coffee. To her surprise, Patrick was still home, and not out for his usual run. He looked rough with dark circles under his eyes. 

_ Good _ Rachel thought,  _ if I’m miserable, he should be too.  _

Patrick looked up at Rachel, tears welling up in his eyes. “I’m gay,” he said. 


	4. Interlude

[Alexis] 10:06 am  _ You’re no longer booked on Aug 22 _

[David] 10:07 am  _ What did I do now?  _

[David] 10:07 am  _ didn’t even comment on her claws.  _

[David] 10:07 am  _ Or his braided leather belt. _

[Alexis] 10:10 am  _ Oh my god, David. You know it’s not always about you. _

[David] 10:11 am  _ *eye roll emoji* _

[Alexis] 10:12 am  _ They broke up, David. _

[Alexis] 10:13 am  _ Rachel has already gone back to Toronto. _

[Alexis] 10:13 am  _ Patrick’s gay. _

[Alexis] 10:46 am  _ David?  _

[Alexis] 11:14 am  _ David? Where are you? _


	5. David

The bell rang above the door of the Rose Apothecary, and Patrick entered, carrying David’s coffee and his own tea. First checking for customers, he leaned in, placing a tender kiss on David’s lips. The four gold rings on David’s hand catching the light of the setting sun as he paused his perusal of nearby wedding venues. 

“Hi,” Patrick said softly. 

“Hi,” David replied breathily. 

The fond look on Patrick’s face, and the tenderness in his voice, combined with the red-orange hue of the setting sun illuminating Patrick’s curls, and the current jazz track playing through the store speakers jostled one of David’s favourite memories to the forefront of his mind. 

_ He’s gay. Patrick is gay. He wasn’t just there because of the sports. He was there because he’s gay.  _

_ David had begun to spiral. Though the negronis that night and the sheer passage of time had blurred the exact image of the Button from his mind, now that the image had been refreshed, he was reliving every moment of the last couple months where he wished had not just let this handsome man walk away from him.  _

_ He distracted himself by working in Alexis’ studio, preparing some files for final edits, and cleaning her lenses, in between working on his own vision for the newly vacated General Store space. He had some light jazz playing over the speakers, the only music he and Alexis could agree on. The bell above the door rang, startling him as it was unusual for spontaneous client visits. _

_ Patrick. It was Patrick. _

_ “Hi,” Patrick said softly. _

_ "Hi,” David replied breathily. “Um, Alexis isn’t here right now.” _

_ Patrick smiled, face fond, golden strands of hair illuminated by the sun pouring in behind him. “Oh, I’m not here for your sister.” _


End file.
